Living Abroad: Have you moved away from your "home" country and gained weight?

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  • mgodfrey0202
    mgodfrey0202 Posts: 35 Member
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    Oh no. Indian foods. Talking about delicious diet hell. ;P

    I came to the US from S Korea 10 years ago and, unfortunately, used to joke that I came to the states "40 lbs ago." Yep. That's how much I gained. It was difficult to find ingredients that I was familiar with, so I went into "all American diet" for a (bit too long) while. I've dropped 20 lbs so far since I started using MFP and am on my way to "recovery". ;)
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    I lived in China for a short time recently and lost a pound. I did a ton of walking and avoided the ubiquitous fried breads. I tried not to eat any bread at all. The food was good and inexpensive.
  • bdgfn
    bdgfn Posts: 7,719 Member
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    I moved to Germany from Denver, CO just over a year ago. The food here is amazing, and I don't really miss any foods from the US. I am back here on MFP because I enjoyed the food, wine and beer so much over the past year and it is showing! LOL
  • JessiBelleW
    JessiBelleW Posts: 815 Member
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    Yes. I think when you first move there is so much on your mind (after all even a trip to the store can take a gps and the stress of a wrong turn) that it is easy to gain weight. After I settle in I always try to focus on my eating for a week or two and try and tell myself this is how i will eat here. The veggies and meats might be different but thats still the bulk of my diet. I currently live almost in Italy (so pasta, bread and pizza are main staples) but they aren't a big part of my diet.
  • minniestar55
    minniestar55 Posts: 346 Member
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    When I retired from USAF & moved to UK from Germany (husband is English), I gained a lot of weight very quickly from eating total crap & sitting on my butt. I got a quick reality check when shopping for clothes (one of the most depressing days of my life), joined local gym the next day & started losing the weight. Food here is a mixture of shocking (fried potatoes with everything, unhealthy takeaways, loads of fast food) & healthy, but healthy is on the up. Lost the weight and more. Whew!
  • geoblewis
    geoblewis Posts: 44 Member
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    I'm from US (California), but lived abroad for 14 years. Louisiana (yes, I count that as abroad), Indonesia, Kuwait, and Kazakhstan. Plus well traveled throughout Asian and Europe. I've been back in California for 6 six.

    I feel that for me, the sheer act of moving, uprooting entirely and dropping into an unknown culture, was very stressful and contributed to my weight gain. I dealt with stress by eating inappropriately. I never found a lack of good food, and I could have eating very healthfully everywhere I lived.

    Part of living abroad is taking in the beauty of the culture and what it has to offer. Food is an easy conduit for connection with locals. I ate very delicious things everywhere we went! When I wasn't at home, I ate like we were on vacation, trying all sorts of new things. Fell in love with grits (with cheese and garlic) in Lafayette, LA. Could not get enough pineapple and Padang cuisine in Indonesia. Lebanese, and Indian restaurants in Kuwait were wonderful. In Kazakhstan, vodka in country, and loads of cheese brought from Amsterdam when traveling to and from.

    Now that I'm back in CA, I've settled in, created a network of support, and am back to eating lots of fresh organic vegetables, healthy fats and pastured or wild sourced proteins. But not before I got my fill of pizza, fast food, restaurant eating, too much dairy and grains. That led me to very poor health. I can be very stupid, all over the planet!
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
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    OH, I would gain so much weight living in NOLA. Oh yes, that would not do at all ...
  • leahnixon34
    leahnixon34 Posts: 5 Member
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    My husband & I moved to Bahrain from the UK almost 3 years ago...I found out after we arrived that it is notorious for expats to put on weight here, my husband’s doctor said between 10-15% of your body weight! Arabic food is obviously healthy however the island is now full of fast food with every type of junk available 24 hours a day, it is the norm to see pizza and MacDonald’s delivers being dropped off before lunch time YUK…

    Being an island everything is imported so fresh food doesn’t stay fresh for long, locally sourced vegetables are cheap but full of pesticides anything imported needs to be eaten the day you buy it before becoming shrivelled and tasteless…

    We have a good supermarket that stocks many American and English products however there are some I really miss. On the plus side my taste buds have changed on return trips to the UK my previously beloved fish & chips and English 'curry house type' curries taste awful along with any processed bread. Nice ready meals are vary rare so you have to cook everything from scratch when short of time its hard not to have withdrawals for M&S food hall!

    With the exception of 3 months of the year it is impossible to exercise outside with temperatures reaching above 40c it is far too hot and from June to September the humidity is a killer. Lack of fresh air, fresh tasty food and only drinking processed water out of plastic leaves me feeling sluggish and lethargic and yes although the button still does up on clothes I had before we came out here I have definitely gained wait approx. 6lbs on a good day!
  • meloditaDk
    meloditaDk Posts: 7 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I moved from Latinamerica to Denmark 8 years ago. I gained a lot of weight (about 30 pounds, about 13 kg) in very few months, that lead to me having to change my entire wardrobe. In summer 2014, I managed to lose a lot of weight and got to a healthy weight for my height. Sadly, I've gained it all back and more. I've gained more than 40 pounds.
    I think moving abroad is very stressful for most people and to cope we eat.
    I'm in the "losing weight wagon" for the second time and I hope this is the last!
  • Clawsal
    Clawsal Posts: 255 Member
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    Hi! I am originally from Portugal. When I moved to Switzerland I gained weight (all the chocolate and cheese :)) but not too much. Then I moved from Switzerland to Canada (I am back in Switzerland) and that's when I gained a bunch of weight. It also coincided with me not living at home anymore so it was a "double effect" thing.

    Food is cheaper in Canada (compared to Switzerland), specially restaurants and take out. Plus they have many many Asian restaurants and I love all kinds of Asian food... so I indulged.

    On the other hand I never ate bread (not tasty! where is my baguette?) and almost never ate cheese because good cheese is so expensive there. By the way... what they call "Swiss cheese" is NOT Swiss cheese! There are all kinds of cheese in Switzerland and not one of them resembles what Canadians (and Americans) call Swiss cheese.

    I know that if I went back to Portugal I would lose weight since I am able to eat (grilled) fish every day there, which I can't do in Switzerland. Switzerland has no sea (only lakes) so "fresh" fish is usually not fresh, not tasty and expensive! Frozen is just not the same...

    I guess each country has its drawbacks and its perks!

    Oh and I find North Americans are very lucky because there are so many different cultures there, they can find virtually any kind of food they want!
  • Clawsal
    Clawsal Posts: 255 Member
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    AuthenticSports wrote: »
    No problem here since German food is so healthy!!!

    I gained about 25 pounds after living here for a half dozen years ... I started using a MyFitnessPal in December and added a Fitbit Charge HR a couple weeks ago ...I have lost roughly 8 pounds so far ... the weather has been mild so far this winter so that has helped.

    Ahah I find this so funny because EVERY person I know who went to Germany (usually 1 year as an exchange student) gained a LOT of weight while there... Though I guess it had more to do with the abundance of good and cheap beer than with the food.
  • Clawsal
    Clawsal Posts: 255 Member
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    I think a lot of people have a point when talking about the stress of moving and
    kuranda10 wrote: »
    Affordable fresh food is not always a thing here. Right now a head of lettuce is over $4.00.
    Strawberries are $7.98 for 250g.
    Caged eggs are $3.00+ , range free eggs can be up to $8.00 a dozen

    Well, don't the wages also change to reflect those prices? Prices are higher so wages are higher and purchasing power stays the same? (Just curious, I have never even been to Australia so I wouldn't know).

  • AmbersWay
    AmbersWay Posts: 277 Member
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    Hi! I'm from US and definitely found moving abroad to be a huge factor in my gaining weight. Plus I had children. But living in aplace that almost every form of entertainment involves food has been rough. Hot climate keeps from going outdoors.

    So happy to start splitting my time up and going to Turkey where the weather is like back home and people are normally out n about for walks and activities with nature.

    I'm looking for support friends, add me if you need support too.
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Clawsal wrote: »
    I think a lot of people have a point when talking about the stress of moving and
    kuranda10 wrote: »
    Affordable fresh food is not always a thing here. Right now a head of lettuce is over $4.00.
    Strawberries are $7.98 for 250g.
    Caged eggs are $3.00+ , range free eggs can be up to $8.00 a dozen

    Well, don't the wages also change to reflect those prices? Prices are higher so wages are higher and purchasing power stays the same? (Just curious, I have never even been to Australia so I wouldn't know).

    The prices are high because the wages are high (min wage is $15ish and then there is a designation of "casual" that is in between min and Part Time. They make $22ish/hr All set by the Gov't. Employers have no say until you get to salary positions). Add in then employers pay 9-12% of the employees pay into the AUS equivilant of a 401K. All those costs are added into the prices.

    Because wages are high, employers try to not hire very many people, Where I live unemployment is over 12%.

    A family of four earning $100,000 AUD is still eligible for social welfare. I was earning $45,000 a year and there is no way I could have lived on my own. People come in from NYC and are gobsmacked at how expensive it is here.
    It's pretty bad
  • niniundlapin
    niniundlapin Posts: 327 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I'm the opposite. I successfully lost my final 5 kgs & am able to keep losing weight beyond my original goal weight. I'm from Taiwan and moved to the US ten years ago. It's a major lifestyle change since nothing is "convenient" or within 5-10 min walking distance (I've been living in several non-major cities in US now). I wasn't a big fan of main dishes before I moved, so those aren't problems but any kind of Asian snacks and desserts (freshly-made ice/ fruit desserts or all sorts of pre-made pastry). It's reasonable that the convenience for food I had before didn't help my goal of being fit at all (used to hit the gym 3-4 times per week for 1-2 hrs, plus walking fast for 2-4 km everyday). And of course, my knowledge for weight-loss wasn't as developed back then. Over here in US is different, not just the food type but how we get them. In the non-major cities, you don't get access to Asian grocery stores as easy and the selection of food is usually limited (and plus the not-so-pleasant price difference :| ). No more convenient access to the food I carve but access to free gym at the school really helped me to get rid of that last few kgs in the first few years after I moved, and thus I can focus more on new workouts and resource for my fitness goal.

    I'm still a fan of snacks and desserts though, and, to be honest, the increase in selection of chips and ice cream here in US has become a huge test for my willpower (Thai tea ice cream?! Green tea ice cream?! These deserve constant re-stocking in every grocery store!!). And, because of all these weight-loss thing, I think I have a perfect excuse not to cook as well as my mom, lol.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I moved to the US 14 years ago and completely changed my lifestyle, from walking up to 2 hours every day to being completely sedentary, eating out just as much but with much bigger portion sizes, and I gained probably 30 pounds in a year.
  • Likichina
    Likichina Posts: 50 Member
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    I moved from Brazil to US in 2014 and, since then (almost 2 years), I gained about 45-50 pounds. I also lost my dad in the meanwhile, which I'm sure contributed a lot to my weight gain, but I find American life style way more sedentary and the fatty foods were just too delicious to resist at first, lol. Also, junk food is way cheaper than healthy food here (opposite of Brazil), so I really let myself go.

    Looking from another perspective, now that I'm trying to lose the weight, I've also discovered that there IS a lot of healthy options here. Fresh and organic produce might not be as cheap as it is in my country, but there is a lot of interesting options of healthy brands and products. I find healthy snacks and foods that I wouldn't find in Brazil, for example. I also became a big fan of the convenience of frozen veggies. And then, there are also gadgets such as FitBit, healthy subscription boxes, etc.

    I think it's just a matter of getting to know the country where you are living after you get settled, because at first we all flock to whatever is easier and faster to consume, and it's usually the junk food that offers us that "comfort" while we are stressed/worried/anxious/excited about the new culture we are immersing into.

    Anyway, that's just my 2 cents.. If anyone is looking for MFP friends, go ahead and add me. It's always great to have more support and share our journeys, specially when it's similar in a way. :)
  • nspink22
    nspink22 Posts: 83 Member
    edited January 2016
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    SatuAholin wrote: »
    I've lived abroad three times. I'm actually living abroad now too. I'm originally from Finland but I've lived in the UK, Germany and now The Netherlands. In all of those countries you're able to eat healthily and groceries are cheaper than in Finland, so I've actually lost weight every time when living abroad. In England I lost the most, something like 13 kg in three months but I also attended to Weight Watchers meetings back then. I'm moving back to Finland in the end of this month and I'm a bit worried what happens to my healthy lifestyle that I learned here in Holland.

    I just moved to Finland in June (from the US). I have lost about 5 pounds, but only because I have a lot more free time to exercise now than I did before. My downfall here is the bread. So. Much. Bread.

    Feel free to add me, I'm always looking for more friends!

  • SaraAhmad117
    SaraAhmad117 Posts: 43 Member
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    meloditaDk wrote: »
    I moved from Latinamerica to Denmark 8 years ago. I gained a lot of weight (about 30 pounds, about 13 kg) in very few months, that lead to me having to change my entire wardrobe. In summer 2014, I managed to lose a lot of weight and got to a healthy weight for my height. Sadly, I've gained it all back and more. I've gained more than 40 pounds.
    I think moving abroad is very stressful for most people and to cope we eat.
    I'm in the "losing weight wagon" for the second time and I hope this is the last!

    I've been on the "larger" side my whole life. The first time I lost weight was around 2006/2007 when I started working at a fitness center in CT. I lost about 40 lbs and was feeling amazing. Then I moved to NYC with some friends and gained it all back (and then some) in my first year and a half. I got a job at a gym there and lost it all again. Then I moved to Maine and stayed with my cousin whose eating habits were TERRIBLE. Again I gained about 50 lbs. in my first couple of years. Got a gym membership and started walking everywhere, lost about 30 lbs. and moved to India. You can guess what happened next. A little over a year later, I've gained 30 lbs. back and am again trying to lose it. Each time I tell myself I won't let this happen again, but it's really frustrating and discouraging. I'm 16 days into my healthy lifestyle and have lost almost 4 lbs. already, so I'm right on track, but this is the first time I'm trying to lose weight without having a gym membership. I'm kind of worried, but I keep telling myself I can do it.
  • SaraAhmad117
    SaraAhmad117 Posts: 43 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    I moved to the US 14 years ago and completely changed my lifestyle, from walking up to 2 hours every day to being completely sedentary, eating out just as much but with much bigger portion sizes, and I gained probably 30 pounds in a year.

    That's ironic- the same exact thing happened to me, but when I moved out of the US. This is my first time ever working from home and not having access to a gym when I want to lose weight. Plus, Indians eat TONS of rice and everything you eat outside has SO MUCH OIL. It's very difficult to keep track here, but I've been doing a good job of it so far this month :-)

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